Free Agency: 5 UFA Left Wingers On the Market
By Nick Seguin
5 years agoWith the NHL Draft behind them, NHL general managers are turning their focus to the next big offseason milestone: free agency.
In the lead-up to the July 1st frenzy, unrestricted free agents are taking advantage of the five day grace period to interview with interested teams. There isn’t a huge market for centermen this year, except for the one big fish, but there is a moderate one. Several depth left wingers are becoming available and will draw a lot of interest from teams across the league.
The Red Wings will have a hard time adding any free agents, considering the cluttered state of their roster, but Ken Holland doesn’t often stay hidden on July 1. There have been grumblings that he will try to add some depth pieces to the roster to help make the team more competitive for a playoff spot.
Here are five unrestricted free agent left wingers that the Red Wings could target on July 1st.
DAVID PERRON
David Perron is no stranger to having to adapt to cities, teams, and locker rooms. The 30-year-old winger has played for a total of six NHL teams over the course of his ten year career. Most recently, Perron was left exposed by the St. Louis Blues in the 2017 expansion draft and was consequently drafted to be a Vegas Golden Knights.
Perron was a big part of the Golden Knights’ historic season, scoring 16 goals and 66 points through the regular season. Then, as part of their Stanley Cup Final run, he added nine points over the course of the playoffs. He’s a good depth winger who can add secondary scoring, which is something the Wings have plenty of. At this point, signing Perron would be taking a highly coveted roster spot away from a young player.
RICK NASH
There are lots of rumours swirling around the 34-year-old Nash. When he was traded at the deadline, it was thought that he’d re-sign in New York, but since the season has been over, I’ve heard him connected to Columbus. In their latest episode of the 31 Thoughts Podcast, Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman indicated that he may be heading towards retirement.
If he decides to continue to play, there’s no doubt that the former 1st round pick will be looking to go to a team that gives him a chance at winning at Stanley Cup. That’s why he greenlit the trade to Boston at the deadline and that’s why the Red Wings shouldn’t even be on his radar. Detroit isn’t close to competing for a Cup right now and Rick Nash will actually be retired before they are.
JAMES VAN RIEMSDYK
JVR was a fan favourite in Toronto while he was there. He scored more than 50 points in every season that he was there, except for two shortened seasons where he put up 32 points in 48 games and 29 points in 40 games. To put it simply, he was a consistent producer for the team.
Most recently, Van Riemsdyk scored 36 goals in the 2017-18 season. One-third of those goals came on the powerplay, which is where Toronto is going to miss him most. He’s a big body who creates chaos in front of the net. It’s an area of the game where Detroit struggles and a guy with JVR’s big frame and smooth hands would do wonders in red and white.
Unfortunately, his recent successful season means he is due for a raise that neither the Toronto Maple Leafs or Detroit Red Wings will be able to afford. Matt Cane has predicted JVR to sign in the three year length at $5.3-million AAV. However, at 29-years-old, it wouldn’t surprise me if he wanted a little more long-term stability. Cane’s projected about a $6-million AAV for a deal that would last any longer than five years.
That’s a term and cap hit the Red Wings should definitely stay away from.
JAMES NEAL
The second James and second Golden Knight on this list is a consistent goal scorer in the NHL. James Neal has scored 40 goals once, 30 goals once, and then over 20 goals for the rest of his ten year career.
He was a tough one for the Predators to leave exposed at the expansion draft as he was a big part of that team’s offense while he was there. 77 goals and 136 points through his 219 games as a Predator. Alas, it wasn’t enough for them to justify his $5-million cap hit for another season and he became a Golden Knight.
In Vegas, Neal went on to score 25 goals (4th best on the team) and 44 points (6th best). He’s a big player who plays hard. And he’s got an amazing shot. Matt Cane’s predicted him to sign a one-year deal at $4.3-million. I could see him signing three or four years, as the 30-year-old may want to settle down in one place for a bit with a Cup contender. At that term, Cane’s projected he’ll get in the $5-6-million AAV range.
While Neal is a great sniper, Detroit just drafted one of those, and I’d rather see Filip Zadina on Larkin’s wing than James Neal.
ANTOINE ROUSSEL
The last player on this list is also the youngest. The 28-year-old Antoine Roussel has played for the Dallas Stars for the length of his 6-year NHL career. Most recently, he played out a four year bridge deal that paid him $2-million AAV.
Roussel is a depth producer who plays a bottom-6 role. His career high in points is 29, which he hit both in 2013-14 and 2015-16. This past season, he hit some roadblocks as he failed to hit 20 points for the first time in his career.
Matt Cane is projecting him to for four years at a $2.5-million AAV. It’s not much of a raise for the winger, but then again, he doesn’t deserve much of one. He could end up back in Dallas, but that team is trying to fix itself to get back into the playoffs. I’m not sure Roussel fits into their plan.
He certainly doesn’t fit into Detroit’s as the team has a slew of bottom-6 talent who produces at the rate that Roussel does.
IS THERE A MOTOR CITY MATCH?
With these wingers? No.
Detroit’s bottom-6 is so cluttered with bad contracts that taking on another depth forward, because that’s what all of these players are, would be detrimental to their short- and long-term health. Especially with youngsters like Tyler Bertuzzi and Evgeny Svechnikov locking down roster spots.
What the Red Wings need is elite top-3 scoring talent. And they may have just found it with their number six overall pick. Free agency is of no use to them at this point.
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